The One and Only One Issue in the 1990 General Elections

Polling Day Eve Message to the People of Penang

“by DAP Secretary-General, Parliamentary Candidate for Tanjong and State Assembly Candidate for Kampong Kolam”

The One and Only One Issue in the 1990 General Elections

Dear people of Penang,

Tomorrow, you will be casting your vote in the most important general elections in the history of Penang and Malaysia.

You will decide whether the DAP’s Tanjung 2 battle to preserve and save the political rights of the people succeed or fail.

There is one and only one issue in the 1990 general elections tomorrow.

In Penang, the one and only one issue is whether the people of Penang unite as one in the last-ditch fight to stop their political rights from final and irreversible erosion after the 1990 general elections, and in particular after the 1990 redelineation of electoral constituencies, where they would lose completely the right to choose the Chief Minister and State Government of their choice.

In Malaysia, the one and only one issue is whether Malaysians can unite as one tomorrow, in the first time and last time in 33 years, to bring about political change and give birth to the two-coalition system tomorrow.

Unless the people achieve a political breakthrough, to preserve and save our political rights, we would have reached the point of no return. We would have ceased to be masters of our own destiny. When we lose our political rights, we will also be losing our economic, educational, cultural, religious and other citizenship rights.

We have reached the crossroads. It is NOW OR NEVER if we are not to lose complete control of our political future, in Penang and in Malaysia.

Dr. Lim Chong Eu has asked the people to ‘wipe’ me out of politics and also to ‘wipe out’ the DAP. The DAP is not asking the people of Penang to ‘wipe off’ Dr. Lim Chong Eu.

My battle against Dr. Lim Chong Eu in Padang Kota is not a personal fight. Similarly, the other five DAP leaders in Penang, Sdr. Karpal Singh, Sdr. Gooi Hock Seng, Sdr. Chian Heng Kai, Sdr. Teoh Teik Huat and Sdr. Lim Hock Seng are not involved in personal feuds when they left safe and strong seats to take on Gerakan and MCA leaders in their strongholds.

The DAP was presented with no choice or alternative if we went to preserve and save the political rights of the people of Penang, in particular to choose the Chief Minister and State Government they want.

The DAP is not asking the people of Penang to ‘wipe out’ Dr. Li, Chong Eu. In fact, I have stated that a DAP State Government would recommend to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that Dr. Lim Chong Eu be appointed Penang State Governor.

Dr. Lim Chong Eu is supremely confident of defeating me in Padang Kota. Only yesterday, he rated his chances of retaining Padang Kota as “very good”.

Dr. Lim may be right. He is also right when he said at a ceramah that even if I win in Padang Kota, it is no guarantee that the DAP can form the next State Government in Penang.

In the last two decades, the obstacles to the people of Penang freely exercising their democratic right to choose the Chief Minister and State Government of their choice has so multiplied that it is now the last chance, but only after overcoming insuperable odds.

It is precisely because we are fully conscious of the insuperable odds we have to face that we presented the Tanjung 2 slate of candidates, with six DAP leaders risking defeat in the Gerakan and MCA strongholds.

The DAP would have failed in its Tanjung 2 struggle even if I win in Padang Kota, but the other five DAP leaders lose in their constituencies.

For DAP’s Tanjung 2 objective to succeed, we need to achieve the following two targets:

1. That the DAP wins the 20 State Assembly seats it is contesting, so that together with Semangat 46 and GAGASAN RAKYAT candidates, a state government can be formed.

2. The winning of the constituencies contested by the six DAP leaders who have left safe and strong constituencies to fight in the Gerakan and MCA strongholds.

This is why in the Tanjung 2 battle tomorrow, the DAP needs every one of the 20 seats contested by the DAP for the NOW OR NEVER battle to preserve and save the political rights of the people of Penang.

I call on the people of Penang to vote tomorrow with one and only one thought and one purpose in mind: to rally behind the DAP and give every possible support to ensure that the DAP can win all the 20 seats.

It would be of no meaning and a great disaster if I should win in Penang Kota, but the other five DAP leaders lose in their constituencies, or the other 14 DAP candidates are defeated.

As I had said clearly and unequivocally, I leave my entire political future in the hands of the people of Penang.